In March 2003, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (the Atomic-Bomb Museum), NHK Hiroshima Broadcasting Company, and Chugoku Shimbun Newspaper Company solicited atomic-bomb pictures from the citizens of Hiroshima. As half a century has passed since the bombing, buildings exposed to the a-bomb have been demolished and memories of the disaster itself are gradually fading away. The survivors are getting older and it is becoming more difficult for them to convey their experiences to future generations. The scene on that day was like a living hell - so horrible and sad that I still shudder at the memory. There is nothing more cruel than nuclear weapons as they can instantly destroy uncountable lives. For the above reasons, I was motivated to draw the pictures hoping that future generations will never have to experience the same disaster.
I also use slides of these drawings when I give my speeches to Japanese students visiting Hiroshima and to foreign people abroad. I sincerely hope that people in the world will look at them and imprint the "Spirit of Hiroshima" on their mind.
(April 2003, Miyoko Matsubara)
